


The most wonderful time of the year

by likelikeLove



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, First Meetings, Flirting, Fluff, Halloween, Humor, M/M, Party shop AU, Ungenerous descriptions of the colour orange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26892691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likelikeLove/pseuds/likelikeLove
Summary: Everyone loves Halloween, except Chanyeol who hates it with a passion…but after developing an even greater passion for the cute party shop worker next door he might just be willing to fake it!
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 42
Kudos: 92





	The most wonderful time of the year

“I’m so sick of Halloween!” announced Chanyeol, stomping his way behind the cafe counter and picking up his apron. “Can’t we skip straight to Christmas? If I see another goddamn pumpkin, I’m going to take a knife and--”

“Carve it?” suggested Jongdae, from next to the coffee machine. “I think that’s what you’re supposed to do on Halloween.”

Chanyeol gave him a depreciating look. “You know what I mean. I’m so sick of it and that gross orange colour everywhere.”

“Oh, stop being such a grinch.”

“That’s a malapropism! The Grinch hated Christmas, not Halloween. There’s isn’t a word for someone who hates Halloween.”

“That’s because you’re the only one. Why on earth did you choose to work at a cafe next to a party shop?!”

The door opened and they both turned to face the customer who approached the counter. He was in his early 20’s with a cute face and a cheerful, slightly cheeky smile....and, most notably, he was wearing a plush, orange jack-o'-lantern costume.

Jongdae very deliberately moved their cake cutting knife away from Chanyeol. 

"Hi," said the pumpkin brightly, "I'm Baekhyun from next door. I was just wondering if you wanted to borrow some Halloween decorations for your cafe? We've got more than we'll sell and maybe you could tell customers where you got them if they ask?”

"No, sorry this is a Halloween-free zone, Chanyeol, here, hates Hallo--" 

“He's joking!” interrupted Chanyeol hurriedly, pushing Jongdae to the side. “Who could possibly hate Halloween? I mean, I love it, nothing better than a good scare, right? And the candy and…the costumes…it’s great...and the candy…and--”

“You’re rambling,” stated Jongdae flatly

“I know, help me,” muttered Chanyeol out of the corner of his mouth.

“We'd love some decorations,” said Jongdae loudly to Baekhyun.

“Ok, great! Come over anytime!”

“Thanks! We will!” Chanyeol called after him, watching him leave.

“What was all that crap? You don't love Halloween!"

“Of course, I don't! I just…oh, Jongdae,” he said, clutching his arm. “I love _him_. He’s _perfect._ ” He gazed wistfully at the closed door.

Jongdae rolled his eyes. “He’s a walking pumpkin,” he said. “An offensively orange walking pumpkin.”

“Unimportant details,” said Chanyeol, waving his comments away. “He can always take it off.” He pressed his apron to his mouth, smiling at that thought 

“I'm not going to get to pick the decorations, am I?”

“Nope!” Chanyeol ran over to the display cabinet. “What's our creepiest muffin flavour?”

“Definitely Raspberry Surprise,” said Jongdae. “They look like blood clots and I don't even want to know what the “surprise” is.” He shuddered.

Chanyeol grabbed a muffin.

“I'm going now,” he called, heading for the door.

“Wait, not now,” exclaimed Jongdae, watching a group of customers who'd just entered the cafe. But Chanyeol was already gone. 

Chanyeol entered the party shop cautiously. The place was completely done up for Halloween, fake spider webs hung thick in the air, with huge plastic spiders dangling menacingly.

Chanyeol weaved his way through a cluster of tombstones to the back.

“Hello?” he called out.

A massive scythe brandishing skeleton popped up from behind the counter.

Chanyeol screamed in terror and hurled the muffin at it in self-defence. It bounced off the skull and from behind the grotesque figure, Baekhyun appeared smiling broadly. “Hi!”

“Hi,” said Chanyeol weakly as he slumped against a coffin, clutching his chest, and trying to get his breathing in order.

“Oh, a muffin!” Baekhyun exclaimed bending down.

“Sorry, that’s for you.”

“Thanks! I wish everyone I scared pelted me with baked goods,” Baekhyun laughed, then peered at Chanyeol concernedly. “Are you ok? You said you liked being scared.”

“I-I do. Those were…screams of delight,” said Chanyeol unconvincingly.

Baekhyun gave him a kind smile. “You know it’s ok to hate Halloween? I don’t even like it that much, but the pay is good here and no one talks to me on the subway when I'm dressed like this.”

“You wear that home?”

“Got too. I'm not wearing anything underneath.” Baekhyun leant forward, locking his eyes on Chanyeol’s, and whispered, “Wanna see?”

Chanyeol's breath had been on the verge of returning to normal but now went ragged and caught in his throat.

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Baekhyun kept his eyes on Chanyeol’s and pulled the neck of the orange costume away from his throat. Chanyeol leant in peering down.

Baekhyun was wearing a white t-shirt underneath with a picture of a ghost on it.

“Boo!” yelled Baekhyun, doubling over with laughter. 

The sound was so delightfully infectious that despite his disappointment Chanyeol joined in.

“You don't scare so easy after all,” exclaimed Baekhyun.

“That’s because you're not scary…you’re really very cute,” said Chanyeol earnestly.

“Wait a couple of months till I’m dressed like a Christmas elf. It’ll be terrifying!” said Baekhyun with a wry smile.

Chanyeol sudden eager expression must have given him away because Baekhyun exclaimed, “Wait...you’re not into that…are you?”

“N-no! of course not!” Chanyeol stammered, looking down, then slowly he let his eyes flick back up to Baekhyun’s. “Are you?”

“You know we get the Christmas items in early, they’re out the back. Maybe we could…take a look?” suggested Baekhyun, with a raised eyebrow. He held out his hand to Chanyeol who clasped it immediately and very enthusiastically followed him.

When Chanyeol returned to the café ½ an hour later humming jingle bells cheerfully Jongdae looked distinctly unimpressed.

“You've been ages...and is that tinsel in your hair?” Jongdae asked frowning at the sparkly strand then eying Chanyeol expectantly. “Where’s our decorations?!”

Chanyeol pulled a sprig of fake mistletoe from his pocket and hung it above the door. 

“That's it? Not very Halloweeny.”

Strolling behind the counter, with a wide smile fixed so firmly on his face that it seemed unlikely it would ever fade Chanyeol announced, “We're skipping Halloween and going straight to Christmas.”

Jongdae stared as he passed, utterly bemused.

"Wait...is your t-shirt on backwards?!”

**Author's Note:**

> Is it a Halloween story? Is it a Christmas story? ヽ(゜～゜o)ノ No one knows…it’s definitely a weird story though, right? …sorry.


End file.
